ABOUT KEIKENS
Made for parents, with parents.
This is why Keikens exists...
OUR COMMITMENT
We show up, so families don't have to do it alone.
Keikens exists because every family raising a child with brain and body differences deserves a steady hand - not a form to fill out, not a portal to log into, not another thing to manage.
We meet you where you are. We grow with your child. And we stay, through every stage, report, and meeting - so you can focus on what matters most: your child.
OUR JOURNEY
The Story Behind Keikens
It started with my dad.
He had MS. I grew up watching him navigate a world that wasn't built for him — and watching how people treated someone who was different.
My mom used to say, "Life is about experiences, not things."
She meant it.
Then came my own kids.
I'm a mom of three boys. As I began raising children who learn differently, I found myself navigating a world I didn't fully understand—evaluations I couldn't decode, providers who didn't speak the same language, and no clear map for what came next.
A psychologist told me something I'll never forget:
"The most important thing you can do is give them access to experiences that help them understand their strengths."
In that moment, everything connected.
So we started trying things
Some worked. Some didn't. That was the point.
A school that finally fit. A tutor who looked for what was working. A sport chosen instead of assigned. A summer camp we weren't sure about. A club that had nothing to do with school at all.
None of it was a fix. But somewhere in the trying, something shifted — more hands up, more "I'm good at this" than "I can't," walking into new places without bracing first.
It wasn't an evaluation that changed things. It was the experiences.
That wasn't therapy. That was an experience.
I wondered, why is this so hard?
I kept asking that question — first with my dad, then as a parent. The resources exist. The experts exist. But none of it comes together for families.
Then I realized — it wasn't just me.
I'd talked to 150+ families hearing the same question. Not because they weren't trying hard enough, but because the system wasn't built to help them.
You're not doing it wrong. It's just hard to do alone.
So I built Keikens.
The name comes from Japan.
Hosting exchange students first took me there. Later, I returned to study, teach, and work. That's where I first learned how much growth comes from stepping into something unfamiliar - and how experiences shape who we become.
Keikens—pronounced kay-kens—means "experiences" in Japanese. I added the "s" because it's never just one.
From Japan. From my mom. From my own kids.
Diagnoses provide information. Experiences shape who a child becomes. That's the future we're building.
Built with families. Not for them.
Keikens wasn't designed in a lab.
It was built through conversations with 150+ families. Every feature. Every question. Every word has been shaped by listening first.
Because you don't create a community. You invite it.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Katie Jacobs
Founder & CEO — Mom to 3 boys
I built Keikens because I wanted a something to help me better understand my children, advocate with confidence, and know what to do next.
I believe parents' instincts matter. I believe confident advocacy changes lives. And I believe the more we understand our children, the better we can support them.
The expert on your child has always been you.
Mom-founded ● Self-funded ● HIPAA - aligned
You don’t have to figure this out on your own.
Whether you’re just starting or you’ve been doing this for years — we meet you where you are.
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